VietNam
Summer of 2015! I Planned on going to India and decided to visit Vietnam as bonus. I made my plans and told my buddy Daya that I'm planning to go. He immediately worked around his busy schedule and joined me in Vietnam for 12 days.
With the constantly changing yet consistently beautiful terrain, the diversity and richness of things to do and places to explore. Beaches, mountains, rice paddies, caves, jungles, waterfalls.
With putting lime on all my noodles, hunting for the cheapest banh mi, sipping on a perfect cup of coffee with condensed milk every morning (and afternoon�and evening�and sometimes in the night).
You could feel the life pulsing through the streets.
I'll let photos do the talking!
Los Angeles - Bangalore - Ho Chi Minh City - Los Angeles
With its vibrant energy, the organized chaos, this city is amazing.
The view of the HCM skyline from across the Mekong river.
The amazing Pho Ga with Saigon beer.
First coffee with Daya after 3 years!
Trying out new cuisine (read as unknown and possibly dangerous food). For more information on this, go to Food adventures of VietNam
Beer with ice. A pleasant surprise.
Vietnamese - Singaporean Fusion Noodles
First Vietnamese coffee! Cafe Sua Nong!
Thanks to Bang for getting us here!
SE Asian delicacy - Boiled Quail egg!
Daya, Bang and I (R to L) sitting in front of Notre Dame Cathedral and enjoying cafe sua da and quail eggs!
Street food of Saigon - Egg Banh Mi
Egg Banh Mi
En-Route to Hanoi from HCM. Transit in Da Nang
Vietnam is super cheap if you manage to get out of touristy traps. The bus ticket from Hanoi airport to Old quarter costed us 9000 Viet Dong (~45 Cents US) each however if you travel the same distance by a taxi you will be charged close to 2 000 000 Viet Dong (~100$ US) the price difference is massive!!
Hanoi Style Pho Ga and fresh spring rolls (rice paper rolls) - Mind blowing.
Egg coffee very popular in Northern Vietnam.
At first, you have to scoop the top layer (egg) and eat it. Later you have to mix the coffee (2nd layer) with the cream (3rd layer) and sip :)
For us former Bangaloreans and current Californians, Rain is always a welcome relief.
Rain Uniform - Hanoi!
Post-it Cafe in Hanoi! interesting place.
You are amidst so many emotions; a different experience.
Street food of Hanoi - Hanoi Night Market in Old Quarter.
Potato on a stick
Our hostel mate!! cool chap!
Streets of Hanoi - In the evenings people sit around corner of the streets, facing the road and have Bia Hoi (Vietnamese local beer), also the cheapest beer in the world (about 22 cents/ glass). Wonderful experience having cheap beer and talking to strangers!
Green Saigon and Bia Hoi
Amazing but very touristy.
We opted for a day cruise in Halong bay which includes lunch, a visit to Floating village, Thien Cung cave and Dau Go cave.
Above, view from Thein Cung cave.
Below, Vietnamese lunch in Halong Bay.
Kayaking near the floating village.
Selfie time.
Thien Cung cave: One of the most popular caves for day trips, a visit to Thien Cung starts from the crowded dock area where wooden walkways lead to steep stairs going up to the mouth of the cave. The interior is a cavernous space, with hokey circus lighting, lots of big rock formations, and the usual interpretive names. This is considered the Cave of the Dragon, where the dragon who created Halong sought refuge
Less touristy than rest of Vietnam, Sapa was the highlight of our Vietnam trip. We had an amazing time. Initially we decided to stay in Sapa for one day and after arriving we loved the place so much we extended our stay for three days. - Totally worth it.
First breakfast in Sapa - Tavan Ecologic Homestay
Pho Ga and cafe sua nong.
View from our homestay - Tavan Ecologic Homestay.
Riding along the mountains and taking all in.
Day 2 in Sapa, we hiked through the mountains, paddy fields and tribal villages thanks to our guide Su (charming young lady in red).
Daya having fun!
Day 3, Drive to Thac Tinh Yeu waterfalls (love waterfalls).
The drive from Tavan to Love waterfalls is mind blowing. The combination of windy mountain roads, fresh tarmac and a 200cc motor bike is an absolute delight
Negotiation in progress for a bowl of bee wax and super fresh honey
Ladies selling tea and Ash boiled eggs
Lunch!
Family dinner at the homestay.
Family dinner!
(Amazing people and amazing food)
I don�t even know what to say other than I came away without capturing even a hint of the beauty of this incredible place. It�s just remarkable, which makes it even more frustrating when you only have one day in Da Nang.
Xoi Ga (sticky rice with chicken and quail egg)
By far the best dish I've tried in whole of Vietnam.
Sticky rice, with a dash of chicken broth, super fresh chicken, fried onions, quail eggs, fried herbs and tons of goodness. This bowl costed us 10000 Viet Dong (44 cents US).
Xoi Ga (pronounced as soi ga) is a very popular breakfast dish in central Vietnam (Da Nang). Xoi Ga definitely lives up to the hype!
Cao Lau
Hoi an's most notable asset is the water drawn from its centuries-old square wells. It is crucial to the making of Hoi An's specialty, cao lau (pronounced gaow laow), an udon style noodles consisting of thin slices of soy-simmered pork, crispy fresh lettuce and herbs such as basil, cilantro and mint, and crackly squares of deep-fried dough, all resting on a tangle of bean sprouts and wide rice noodles. It's drizzled with just enough rich meat broth and served with sweet and hot chili jam and half a lime for squeezing.
http://bit.ly/1MQqA8t
Hai Van Pass
An untouched ribbon of perfection indeed!!!
Yeah I know, I've just blatantly copied Jeremy Clarkson there, but bearing in mind it was the Top Gear Vietnam special that fueled my passion and desire to visit this incredible Country in the first place, I simply had to visit Hai Van Pass.
What can I say? It was pretty much everything I had imagined. The views and serenity are to die for.
The views particularly on the descent as you approach Lang Co beach will simply leave you speechless and with a lump in your throat.
The city of Lang Co and the great engineering project (mountain tunnel) connecting Da Nang and Lang Co.
Railway crossing at the descent of the Hai Van pass.
Obligatory Hai Van Pass photo :)
What is there not to love about Dalat? Besides canyoning, which is still one of the highlights of my time in Vietnam, I also met an amazing friend! Great people makes Dalat my favorite city in southern Vietnam.
Hoang and Daya having coffee!
Thanks Hoang for inviting us to try your piece of the world.
Da Lat is famous for a special dish - Pizza DaLat.
Young guys call it Pizza DaLat where as old folk call it Grilled Onion Rolls.
Pizza DaLat is a rice paper roll with eggs, onions,choice of meat and tons of cheese!
Hoang took us to this amazing street food joint in Da Lat where they sell the best Pizza DaLat, this place is super popular with DaLat's young crowd.
Pizza DaLat.
crispy crickets anyone??
Eat to your heart's content 10000 Viet Dong (44 Cents US) only.
Canyoning
A visit to Mekong Delta was a happy accident. It was nearly the end of our trip and we just reached Saigon. Our initial plan was to chill in Saigon and later get to the airport in the night. However when we reached our hostel, couple of guys were heading to Mekong Delta for a day. I looked at Daya questionably and he was like lets do it! we signed up and headed to delta.
Its was stunning and reminded me of Alleppey in Kerala India.
Daya and I taking the boat ride in the Mekong Delta.
Our oarsman.
Vietnam, I did fall for you!!